- Title: Ancient human remains dating 3,000 years discovered in Yemen
- Date: 30th August 2019
- Summary: SANAA, YEMEN (AUGUST 26, 2019) (REUTERS) CAVE ENTRANCE IN MOUNTAINS OF SHAMLAN AREA CAVE MOUNTAINS IN SHAMLAN AREA MAN WALKING BESIDE ROCKS IN MOUNTAIN PATH MEN WALKING ON MOUNTAIN PATHWAY MEMBER OF SECURITY WALKING WITH ARCHAEOLOGIST VARIOUS OF ARCHAEOLOGIST AND MEN TALKING AT ENTRANCE OF CAVE ARCHAEOLOGIST ENTERING CAVE HUMAN BONES FOUND IN CAVE / ARCHAEOLOGIST LOOKING FOR BONES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DIRECTOR GENERAL OF ANTIQUITIES AT THE NATIONAL AUTHORITY OF ANTIQUITIES, ABDUL KARIM AL BERKANI, SAYING: "These are some of the bones of the neck and these are some other from the leg. This shows that the tomb has more than one body that have been tampered with and taken out randomly." BERKANI HOLDING LOWER JAW (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DIRECTOR GENERAL OF ANTIQUITIES AT THE NATIONAL AUTHORITY OF ANTIQUITIES, ABDUL KARIM AL-BERKANI, SAYING: "This is the lower jaw of one of the bodies and it indicates that the corpse or every lower jaw found is evidence to a single, individual corpse." CAVE / BERKANI LOOKING FOR REMAINS CAVE ENTRANCE / MAN STANDING OUTSIDE CAVE BERKANI INSIDE CAVE INSPECTING FINDS VARIOUS OF BERKANI COMING OUT OF CAVE HUMAN BONES AT CAVE ENTRANCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DIRECTOR GENERAL OF ANTIQUITIES AT THE NATIONAL AUTHORITY OF ANTIQUITIES, ABDUL KARIM AL-BERKANI, SAYING: "It is possible to construct a whole body from what was collected through the bone samples of the destroyed skeletons but the body, however, will not contain the mummification and packaging materials from the mummification process. What happened is considered a crime of destruction of antiquities and heritage due to the fact that the mummy is a historical treasure and a knowledge treasure for civilizations." ROCKS INSIDE CAVE OFFICIALS STANDING OUTSIDE CAVE ROCKS MEN WALKING ON MOUNTAIN NEXT TO CAVE VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS AND ARCHAEOLOGISTS SPEAKING OUTSIDE CAVE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HOUTHI-ALIGNED MINISTER OF CULTURE IN SANAA, ABDULLAH AHMAD AL-KIBSI, SAYING: "After this discovery, we completely scored the area from its beginning to its end, and we sent a specialised team from the antiquities authority to investigate and explore other discoveries in this area. This specialised team was able to find more than one site and more than one grave, and cave" VARIOUS OF MOUNTAIN VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS STANDING ON ROCK
- Embargoed: 13th September 2019 10:48
- Keywords: Yemen discovery archaeological discovery archaeological discovery in Yemen Stone Age human remains ancient human remains in Yemen
- Location: SANAA, YEMEN
- City: SANAA, YEMEN
- Country: Yemen
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA001AUEU3Q1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Ancient human remains were found in caves on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, but the scattered bones which date back more than 3,000 years, are said to have been damaged by looters looking for treasures.
Inside the mountain ranges of Shamlan, archaeologists say that the jaw bones, thigh bones and other remains that were found belong to two bodies that were most likely mummified.
The bones were found in a hole dug in a cave in the mountain range. According to the Houthi-aligned Minister of Culture Abdullah Al Kibsi, the remains belong to settlers who resided in the area at the end of the Stone Age.
The mummies were extracted by looters looking for gold, he added.
The remains are believed to be the first of other potential discoveries in the area.
Sanaa is said to have been founded two and half millennia ago and its old heart once bustled with traders and drew tourists in calmer times.
Sheba and other Yemeni kingdoms once provided the frankincense and myrrh hauled by desert caravans to perfume the temples of the Holy Land and ancient Rome.
Modern combat, however, is disfiguring important cultural treasures. Air strikes have levelled medieval mudbrick towers in Sanaa's old quarter, a medieval mosque and an Ottoman fort.
Al Qaeda militants have dynamited Sufi shrines and armed attacks in Houthi-held lands have sent packing many members of a Yemeni Jewish community dating from the time of King Solomon around 1,000 B.C.
Folklore calls Yemen the cradle of the Arabs but its ancient heritage has been threatened by years of war.
A Saudi-led military coalition has carried out thousands of air strikes in a bid to dislodge Yemen's armed Houthi movement from the capital. The conflict has killed at least 10,000 people and unleashed a humanitarian crisis.
(Production: Adel Khedr, Abudlrahman al-Ansi, Mostafa Salem) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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